Housing Aidaption for People with a Disability Grant
A Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and People with a Disability is available from local authorities if you need to make changes to a home to make it more suitable for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability or mental health difficulty.
The grant can help you to make changes and adaptations to your home, for example, making it wheelchair-accessible, extending it to create more space, adding a ground-floor bathroom or toilet or a stairlift. In some cases, the provision of heating can be included, but only under certain conditions.
Rules
The Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and People with a Disability can be paid to people in:
- Owner-occupied housing
- Houses being bought from a local authority under the Tenant Purchase Scheme
- Private rented accommodation (the duration of your tenancy can affect grant approval)
- Accommodation provided under the voluntary housing Capital Assistance and Rental Subsidy schemes
- Accommodation occupied by people living in communal residences
You must satisfy the local authority that you will occupy the property as your normal place of residence when the works have been done. If you are a tenant, you must also get written approval from your landlord. Your application will be prioritised based on medical need.
Means Test
The grant is available to households whose gross annual household income does not exceed €60,000. Your total household income is assessed to find out if you qualify for the grant and the amount payable.
Tax information required
When applying for the grant, you must provide:
- Your tax reference number
- Details of your tax district and
- A statement that, to the best of your knowledge, your tax affairs are in order
If the value of your grant application adds up to €10,000 or more, you must make a valid Tax Clearance Certificate available to the local authority. You can either provide the physical certificate or else give the local authority your customer number and the reference number of the certificate and authorise it to confirm your tax clearance status electronically. For all grant payments contractors must produce confirmation of tax clearance.
Quotations for Works
The local authority will only pay grants on the basis of quotations that it considers reasonable. In general, you must include 2 written itemised quotations from contractors with your application, indicating the cost of the work required. If you cannot get a second quotation, or in cases of hardship, the local authority may accept a single quotation.
Starting the work to adapt your home
The grant will not be paid if you start work before you get grant approval. However, it is expected that the work will start within 6 months of your grant approval. If this does not happen, the local authority may allow a time extension.
Getting the work done safely
Under the Regulations governing safety, health and welfare at work, homeowners are obliged to ensure that construction work on their home is carried out by competent people. Read more, including a guide for homeowners (pdf) and some Frequently Asked Questions, on the website of the Health and Safety Authority.
Rates
If your household income is less than €30,000 you may qualify for 95% of the cost of the works (up to the maximum grant amount of €30,000). The proportion of the costs to be grant aided will be tapered from 95% down to 30%, depending on your income. If your gross annual household income exceeds €60,000 no grant is payable. If your house is less than 12 months old the grant will generally not exceed €14,500.
How to apply
Download an application form from your local authority’s website or ask for one to be posted to you. The form contains detailed information on the scheme’s conditions and a checklist of documents that you must include.
Further details are available on the Citizens Information Website here.
For a no obligation meeting to discuss your requirements or to arrange a quote for works please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us today!
